


Jace's Phantasm

by Mertiya



Series: Story Circle [21]
Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 19:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9199169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertiya/pseuds/Mertiya
Summary: Tezzeret knows Jace's flaws -- or does he?





	

“Beleren!” Tezzeret snarled, ducking to the side of his ceiling-high construct as it slammed the muscleman into the floor.  “I’ve been waiting for you.”

The mind mage, who had been hovering near the back of the room, leaped backwards as Tezzeret strode toward him. He’d been directing his people from the back, exactly as Tezzeret had expected.  Predictable.  Always predictable.

An expression that was half a smile, half a snarl lit up Tezzeret’s face.  The rebels had made a good showing, but he had them now.  They’d been steadily pushed back, center exposed, and now, with their leader and presumably the man who was relaying orders between them about to be down, they’d be crushed.

“Not good enough, boy.”  Tezzeret seized Jace by the throat with his etherium arm–the arm Jace had once ripped from Tezzeret’s body.  Jace choked, feet kicking out wildly, as he was lifted into the air.  “Never good enough.  You’re easy to outmaneuver.”  He tightened his grip as the struggling form grew limp from lack of air.  No sense in killing the boy.  Not yet, anyway.

“Oh, Tezzeret,” said a female voice from behind him.  “Honestly, that’s _adorable_.”

“What?” Tezzeret spun, dropping Jace’s form to the ground.  As it landed, it changed, the grubby blue robes melting away to reveal bright, glittering metal.  The automaton lay on the ground, staring up at Tezzeret with blank, inhuman eyes.  

“I said, that’s adorable.”  Vess stepped delicately over the quiescent mechanism, flanked by two large zombies.  “Jace hasn’t been on this plane in _weeks_.  That’s just an illusion he helped Saheeli with.”

Tezzeret stared at her, confused, trying to push down the sudden flare of unease in his gut.

“He said you’d be far too busy worrying about how to deal with him to pay attention to any of the rest of us.  I rather thought the child would be wrong, but it seems he was quite right about you.  I’ll have to let him know.”

“Wh-What?”

That wasn’t _possible_.  Jace had to be here.  He’d never leave when he had the chance of fighting Tezzeret.  He’d think he was abandoning his _friends_.  Tezzeret sneered.  As if the boy had friends.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Vess sighed, reaching out with one pallid finger to brush gently over Tezzeret’s living arm, which chilled in the wake of her touch.  “But I’m more than happy to have the opportunity to deal with you.”

No.  He _knew_  Jace.  He _knew_  the boy’s flaws, his weaknesses.  Jace could not have outmaneuvered him like this.  He had to be here somewhere.  If he could just _find_  him–the zombies moved forward, pressing him into the wall behind.  He could hear the whining sounds of his automaton as its gears ground helplessly, desperately in need of maintenance.

“I’m afraid time’s up,” the necromancer whispered sweetly as she began to gather mana.


End file.
